


Alternating Current

by Fads68



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-08-23 02:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8310385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fads68/pseuds/Fads68
Summary: The story of a boy who would be a huntsman, if he could overcome his doubt. They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, but when it does, is it luck or misfortune?Takes place 5 years before the events of RWBY.





	1. Alternating Current

The alarm buzzed, but I was already awake. From my window I could see the sky, the shattered moon shining faintly above. I moved to get ready, quickly, silently. If my parents found out I was doing this… My room was a mess, the desk covered in spare servos and wiring, dirty clothes strewn across the floor. My bag was at the foot of my bed, as I had prepared it the night before.

I grabbed the sword from under the bed. It was sheathed, but when I gripped the handle I could feel the flow of electricity, power flowing through the mechanisms I designed. I cracked open the window. Sword, check. Bag, check. I was good to go. My room was on the second floor, and my gut clenched as I looked down. If I did fall my aura would take the blow, but wouldn’t muffle the sound. I grabbed a rope from my bag, securing it to the knob on my closet door. I took a deep breath, then began to descend.

I moved with confidence through the town, the hood on my jacket down. It looked less suspicious that way, I figured. The streets were mostly empty, only a few others out at this hour. The town wasn't that large, but it was large enough to survive the grimm attacks that came hand in hand with distance from the city. 

I made it to the walls, old wooden structures that mostly served as a lookout post. Standing atop them, right above the exit, was a man in a light gray tunic. My mentor and the town’s greatest huntsman, Slade. He glanced down at me and gave a thin smile, his sharp features and crooked nose illuminated by a lamp that hung from his belt. “Your parents know you’re out tonight?” he asked, his deep voice hushed. 

I shook my head. “Not at all.” 

Slade’s grin widened. “Good. You’ve finished your sword, I take it? Then I’ll let you fight alone tonight, but I’ll be watching.” He didn’t give me a chance confirm about my weapon. I had long suspected that he had a way of observing me without my knowledge, but I had never asked out of respect. 

I glanced up at him again. He gave no indication of providing direction, so I set out into the fields, fingers loosely curled around the hilt of my sword. The long grass brushed against the legs of my jeans, rustling as I moved. 

It didn’t take long to find a grimm. A seemingly lone beowulf, silhouetted against the starry sky as it stood on its hind legs. I pressed the pommel of my sword with my thumb. I had remembered to load it, thankfully. The beowulf had spotted me. It howled, likely alerting an entire pack to my presence. It dropped to all fours, and began to run at me, mouth open.

My sword sang as I slipped it from the sheath, pointing it tip first at the charging grimm. I focused on the electricity flowing through the circuits inside the blade, diverting the flow of electrons with a thought. The blade split in half along an invisible seam, revealing the encased barrel. I fired one round, the recoil blowing me back an entire foot. If not for my aura it would have broken my arm, I had to figure out a way around that. The grimm stopped in its tracks as the bullet pierced an eye, dissolving into black mist as it began to slump over.

I reverted the flow of energy, and the blades retracted back to their resting position. I took up a defensive stance, my sword gripped with one hand, my weight resting on the balls of my feet. The rest of the pack had arrived. 

The moved en mass, a rolling wave of black, red, and white bone threatening to engulf me. I thought back to Slade’s teachings. A weapon is not to a toy. It is a tool to be mastered, and if you do it will never fail you when you need it. I stepped to the side as my blade bit down, it’s razor edge splitting the skull-like mask of the lead grimm, cutting through the flesh beneath. 

A warrior’s weapon is nothing without a way to hold it, one must always watch their hands. I flicked my blade out with my left, cutting another’s mouth into a bloody grin. I reached out with my right, the metal plating of my glove conducting an electric shock to the grimm I grabbed. I leapt sideways to dodge another charging beowulf, lopping off it’s head with an upward strike. I struck again and again, my blade trailing black smoke from slain grimm. 

Sometimes you can’t avoid everything, but learn to roll with the punches. A tree that cannot bend will break in a light storm, but one that can will weather a hurricane. A grimm took a heavy swipe at me from behind, catching me off guard. My aura protected me from injury, but that didn’t stop it from hurting. I gritted my teeth, and used the momentum from the blow to propel myself into a roll, slicing open the stomach of another beowulf in passing. Only the one who had struck me remained, and I turned to face it. It was much larger than any of the others, and had spikes of bone along its body. I was facing an alpha, I realized, as it began to charge.

I had no clue if what I was about to do would actually work. My blade split open again, and I activated another servo before firing straight. There was a flash of purple as I shot upwards, the alpha barreling past where I had been moments before. In the air I fired two shots at the alpha, which only seemed to make it angrier. That was the entire clip. As I began to fall, I ejected the cylindrical clip from the pommel of the sword, pulling one marked yellow out of my bag and jamming it in. I hit the ground, flattening the grass around me. The alpha turned towards me and roared, a sound of pure hatred. 

It charged again, thirty feet away, twenty, ten. I sidestepped, jamming my sword into it’s side as it passed. I was pulled forward with it, my sword thoroughly stuck. It whipped around, and I lost my grip on the handle. I fell to the ground, and it pounced on me, the strike throwing me backwards. I saw the crackle of blue-white energy around me as I struggled to my feet. My aura had given out. 

The massive Grim had not let up. It was stalking towards me, my sword gleaming in the moonlight, contrasted with the matte black fur. It tried to pounce at me again. I jumped over the strike, kicking it in the head as it went under me. I slipped on its fur as I landed, grabbing my sword as I fell. This time, I didn’t waste my chance. I opened up the blades, widening the puncture in the beast’s side. I fired all four shots into the wound, and at the same time unleashed a dust-charged electric blast. There was a crack of thunder and my vision went white. 

The blowback threw me several yards away, my sword still in hand. I could see the grass through the smouldering hole in the grimm’s side, it’s monstrous form slow to dissolve. I turned towards the town. I hadn’t realized just how close the fight had been. I could just barely make out the silhouette of Slade against the light of his lantern.

I sheathed my sword, and began to make my way back towards town, adrenaline still pumping through my veins. Was it my eyes fooling me or were there a lot of lights on in the city. The moon was still up, I hadn’t been out that long.

As I got closer, I could see that there were in fact lights on in the city. I heard Slade call out to me from above. “Good job kid! I think that weapon of yours might be a bit on the loud side, though.” My eyes widened, and my heart dropped. I approached the gate, my eyes adjusting to the harsh light. It seemed like half the town was there. They had formed a semicircle around the entrance way, and I could feel their eyes upon me. 

Slade jumped down from the platform he stood on, landing silently on the paved road. He clapped me on the back. “You’re a hero, kid. Now go get some sleep.” I began to move forward, the crowd parting before me, eyes still watching. I made my way back home, glancing back occasionally to see if anyone had followed. No one did. 

All the lights were on in the house. The rope was gone from the window, there was no way to avoid this confrontation. I sighed, and opened the door. My parents were there, sitting at the dining room table. They didn’t say anything as I entered, but my mom ran up to me and gave me a hug. I hugged her back. “How long have you known?” I asked.

“I didn’t.” She replied, hugging me tighter. 

My dad was still at the table. “Slade told me around the beginning. I should have told you, Amber. I’m sorry.” He said, looking down at the hardwood table. “You always said he took after my dad, I guess you were right.” He still didn’t look up. My grandfather had been a huntsman. He never accomplished much but our family was unnoteworthy to the point where I had heard stories of him a thousand times.

My mom sighed, still refusing to let me go. “We’ll talk about that later.” We were silent for a few seconds. My mom finally released me, gazing at me. I couldn’t bring myself to meet it. “You must be exhausted, go get some sleep.” It was an order, not a question. 

I went up to my room, dropping my sword and bag by the door. The rope had been neatly rolled back up and placed in a loop on the closet door handle. I turned out the light, and flopped down onto the bed. The adrenaline had vanished from my system, and it was not long before sleep took me.

\-----------------

I awoke the next morning to my normal alarm, still exhausted. I dragged myself out of bed, put on the first set of clean clothes I could find, and headed downstairs. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, the open floor plan allowing light to illuminate most of the first floor. Slade was there, chatting animatedly with my dad at the table. My mom would be out for her morning run around this time. My dad must have heard me coming down the stairs, as he spoke before looking. “Good morning, you sleep ok?” 

I nodded, and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the shelf as I went. I filled the bowl with cereal and milk, pausing to look out towards the street beyond the window over the sink. I moved back into the dining room, having to double back to grab a spoon after realizing I forgot one. “-seem shocked. Not many would have pegged him as a fighter.” , I heard Slade saying. 

I sat down at my normal seat at the table, next to my dad. Slade was seated across from him. He glanced up at me. “No offense, but you don’t really look like one.” Slade said, with a light chuckle. I grimaced but said nothing. He was right, after all. I wasn’t particularly strong or fast; I had learned to rely heavily on technique with my fighting style. When most people envisioned a huntsman, they thought fast, mysterious, tall, with some ridiculous weapon larger than they were. I was… tall. 

“So what are we going to do?” My dad asked, turning to Slade. “He’s tasted the thrill of battle, there’s no way we could prevent him from going off to become a huntsman forever, is there?” 

Slade glanced at me. “Not in the slightest.”

My dad nodded thoughtfully. “Beacon should still be accepting, right?” I almost choked on my cereal. Beacon? As in the greatest combat school in the nation?

“Yeah,” Slade replied. “And I happen to have the headmaster’s number. Enough of that talk now though, I want to talk with your son.” My dad nodded, and left the room, heading to his study upstairs presumably. Slade peered at me. “How are you holding up?” He asked.

“Bit overwhelmed.” I mumbled, looking down at my half-empty bowl. I suddenly wasn’t feeling all that hungry. 

“That’s forgivable.” He said, nodding. “Go grab your sword, we’re going for a walk.”

We walked down the street, silent. I felt self conscious; the sheath was very visible hanging by my side. I couldn't help but notice the people stopping to stare, and I saw a young girl pointing at me, tugging at her mother’s arm. 

We walked a few blocks before we reached Slade’s workshop, a massive building that took a third if the block. I had been here many times before, but only at night. We went inside, Slade shutting the door behind us.

Slade ran a small small smithy in order to maintain his weapon, which he constantly improved upon, a living project that would die only with him. There were tool cabinets lining an entire wall, and storage cabinets lining another. The middle of the area was clear, as we commonly used it as an arena to spar.

“So, let's see this sword if yours.” He said, grinning. My eyes lit up, and I handed it to him by the hilt. He pulled it out, leaving me with the sheath.

The double edged blade was three and a half feet long, with a hand-and-a-half length hilt. The end of the sword tapered off to a point, intended for stabbing. Near the base the sword was thicker than overtly necessary to accommodate the gun barrel inside.

“I used the dimensions from the sword you had me train with as a starting point.” I said. “There's several other features, though.” 

Slade was looking it over. “This opens up, doesn't it? I can't find any switch, how does it work?” He mimed a cut with the sword, slashing downwards.

“There's circuitry inside of it. I can force different things to activate us-” I began, but he cut me off before I could stop.

“Using your semblance. That's impressive, I must say.” He said. He tossed the sword back to me, and I caught it in both hands. “Let's see it then.”  
I pulled the sword out of the sheath, feeling the flow of energy as I grasped the hilt with my bare hand. I willed electrons to move, and they did. The blade split along the middle, the barrel gleaming in the light. 

Slade whistled, eyes widening. “That's quite the noisemaker you have on there. Kick must be rough.” 

“Yeah,” I replied. “I need to do something about that. I'm afraid that it’ll kill me if I fire it while my aura is low. There's no real way to brace for the impact either.”

“Any other tricks up your sleeve with this?” Slade asked.

“The entire outside is conductive, so if I’m clashing weapons with someone I can shock them.” I said. “Against grimm it can help to annoy anything I can't cut into, I guess.” I closed up the blade, sheathing my sword.

Slade sat down on the ground, cross legged, and motioned for me to join him. I sat down across from him. “I know you're overwhelmed with everything that's happening. Once you're at Beacon, things move fast. It's not like it is here. You're gonna need to learn to keep up.” Slade said. I noted he said once instead of if. I had no objection, but it still didn't feel great to have it be all but decided for me. 

Slade sighed, suddenly looking very, very tired. “You're gonna go far, kid.” He said.

\-------

I sat in the small office in Slade’s workshop, two of the greatest hunters alive standing before me. Ozpin leaned on his cane, a mug of coffee on the desk in front of him as he looked over a page of notes. Glynda Goodwitch stood beside him, arms crossed. I didn’t know how Slade had gotten them to come out this far away for an entrance exam, but I didn’t dare to ask. They were imposing, not just because Ozpin stood several inches taller than me but because of their reputation. 

Ozpin looked up, seeming to look more through me than at me. “Well Slade certainly speaks highly of you. He was a great student, and I trust his judgment, but that doesn’t mean you’re excused from the examination.” Glynda pursed her lips, glancing at Ozpin.

“I understand, Sir.” I mumbled.

“Please, no need to be so formal.” He said. “Just call me Ozpin.” I nodded in reply, not wanting to speak more than I had to. “Let's start then, shall we? You may have heard that our entrance exam at Beacon is notoriously challenging, and those rumors would be correct. You will spar with Glynda. You don’t need to win, just demonstrate your prowess.” He said the last part quickly, before I could voice my concern.

I swallowed, finding my mouth dry. I had to spar with a fully trained huntress, and Glynda at that? This wasn’t going to go well. Ozpin moved to the door, and I followed. Glynda took up a position on one side of the sparring area where I had been taught to fight. Ironic, I thought, that this was where I was going to fail. I walked to the opposite side from Glynda, eyes locked with her. “Whenever you’re ready.” Ozpin called out. He had taken a seat along one of the walls. 

I placed a hand on the hilt of my sword, the feel of energy circulating beneath calming my pounding heart. I noticed that I hadn’t loaded a clip in and mentally cursed. Why did I make this harder on myself?

In the time it took me to draw my sword she had closed the distance with ease. As I brought my sword up to parry her strike I realized that she was letting me react, holding back. We clashed weapons for several seconds. Was that riding crop metal? I let out a shock through my blade. No, it was not. “Good form.” Glynda commented. “Not the fastest, but excellent technique.” I gritted my teeth. I already knew this, I didn’t need her to tell me.

I reached back into my bag, tossing a clip into the air behind my back. I jumped back from the clash, slamming the clip in as it fell, then timed a strike to intercept her advance. She easily parried, knocking my sword back with twirl of her weapon, then taking another swing at me. The crop stung where it hit, despite the protection from my aura. I allowed myself to flinch, then ducked forward and grabbed her arm as she started an attack to follow up. I let out a shock, causing her to drop her weapon in surprise, then took a swing with my sword. Her aura took the blow, and she shoved me back. “Unorthodox fighting style, Slade’s influence is obvious.” She said, dryly. “Who else would teach someone to step into an attack?”

I blocked an incoming swipe, then another, then the third hit me. She was increasing her speed, holding back less and less. I blocked another, activating the circuitry in my sword. I saw her eyebrows raise as the blade split in two, and that moment’s hesitation gave me a clear shot. She was thrown back, the crack of gunfire echoing through the warehouse-esque building. I fired three more shots, emptying the clip. None of the shots hit, but I used the distraction to reload with a dust charged clip. 

An unseen force pushed at me, blowing me backwards. I kept my footing, and drew on the power of dust. I raised my right hand, and lightning arced at my will. As fast as she was, Glynda couldn’t dodge electricity. The room smelled of ozone as the blast caught her center of mass, knocking her down.

I felt the sensation of being crushed, my arms unable to move. Glenda had gotten up. She flicked her riding crop in my direction, and the invisible force slammed me into the wall, my sword flying from my hand. 

I pulled myself to my feet. Glynda had put away her weapon. “I’ve seen enough, have you?” She said, turning to Ozpin, who nodded.

“I want to know what you thought you did.” Ozpin said, standing up and walking over to me. 

I took a few seconds to catch my breath. “Not great. She was holding back the whole time, I couldn’t keep up with her speed near the end. I was only able to land hits when I caught her off guard, first with my semblance then with my weapon.”

Ozpin smiled, his mouth a thin line. “None of the last twenty seven people who attempted this exam landed a single hit on Glynda. You managed three.” 

Glynda cut him off. “Four actually, he gave me an electric shock when he grabbed my wrist.” 

“Four then. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing you at Beacon next month.” He stood, glancing at me one last time before heading for the door. I had passed.


	2. 9 Volt

The airship more floated than flew, much of the city of Vale visible below us. There was a crackle of static as the screens that covered the windows flared to life, Glynda’s visage beginning to welcome us to Beacon. I paid it little mind. 

As much as I looked forward to my time at Beacon, it had been hard to say goodbye to my parents and friends back home. It had been hard for my mom to accept that I was leaving, but she coped by fussing over every little detail she could control. Even after I had hugged her and said goodby she came up with more reasons for me to stay just a minute longer. I had promised her that I would come back and visit whenever I had the chance.

My dad had took it better. He was a much more subdued than my mom, but still was sad to see me go. He was proud of me, in his own words. He was proud that I would be able to make a difference, help people, save lives. I had promised him I would.

I was lost in thought to the point where I almost didn't notice the call to disembark. I ended up at the back of the crowd, uncomfortable being around this many people. 

The airship dropped us off in front of the school, a massive fortress of a institution with it's namesake Beacon Tower rising above all else.

I followed the flow of bodies through the gates, and into a courtyard like area, my height allowed me to see over the heads of most of the crowd. Ozpin and Glynda stood in a raised platform, Ozpin holding his signature cane and coffee cup.

“Good morning, students. I'm happy to welcome you all to Beacon Academy.” Ozpin said, the crowd falling silent as he began. “Here you will be trained to become some of the best hunters in the world.” I looked up at Ozpin, and I could swear he looked back for just a second. “Our returning students already know this, however, and to them I say; Welcome back! Everyone but the first years are free to go.”

Much of the throng of people began to disperse. Ozpin stood perfectly still, only his eyes moving as he watched them leave. In less than a minute only a dozen of us remained. “All of you will spend the next four years here,” Ozpin said. “But first, you must survive initiation. Follow Glynda now, she will show you the weapon lockers and the place you will be sleeping tonight.” He stepped down from the stage, walking towards the Beacon Tower.  
As we followed Glynda, I noticed that one of the other students was going around with a clipboard, asking each other person something. He slowed his pace to close the distance between us. “Hey, the name’s Russell.” 

He was more than a head shorter than me, his wild brown hair nearly covering his eyes. His weapon must have been concealed, as I couldn’t identify one. “I was wondering if you got in via entrance test or by transcript, and if by test how many hits did you land on Glynda? I’m trying to get a sense of how good everyone is.” The words were practiced. Granted, he had asked it ten times already.

“Four.” I said, glancing down at him. 

He stopped short. “Bullshit! The highest anyone else got was two.”

I kept walking, and Russell ran to catch up. “Why would I lie?” I asked.

“To make yourself seem better than you are, to make people want you on their team!” He seemed exasperated, and he ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I guess I’ll see during initiation.” He shook his head. “Four hits...” He grumbled, jogging ahead to rejoin the bulk of the group. 

\-------------

We stood near the edge of the cliff, overlooking the forest below. Twelve students, Ozpin, and Glynda. “You will all be split into teams based on your performance today. The first person you make eye contact with after you land will be your partner for the rest of your time at Beacon.” Ozpin said. “You will fight together, eat together, learn together, live together. Your goal as partners today is to reach the temple ruins and retrieve an artifact. After this, you must make it back to the cliff. If you don’t, you’re probably dead anyways.” Ozpin turned to Glynda. “Ready?” He asked. She nodded, not looking up from the screen she held in one hand.

Ozpin turned back to us. “I hope everyone has a landing strategy in mind, as we will begin - now!” With that, the first person was launched into the forest. Three seconds later, the next. I was fourth in the row, and I held my breath, nervous as I had ever been before. This was it. 

I was launched skyward, a ballistic trajectory straight into the mass of trees below. I drew my sword in mid air, chosing a tall oak as my target. I took a backhanded grip on my sword, using the force my momentum to shear off the top of the tree as I fell past. I slammed the sword blade first into another, stopping abruptly. I had slowed down enough to not dislocate my arm, thankfully. 

I extracted the sword, sitting down on one of the branches. I heard the sound of splintering wood as the a the tree I had decapitated fell to the ground. That would likely alert any other students nearby that someone was here. It would also alert any grimm. I dropped to the ground, landing lightly. I didn’t hear any movement, no signs of life around me. 

I picked a direction at random and began to walk. I kept my sword at the ready, the flow of electricity through the blade familiar and comforting. I went on like this for almost ten minutes without event. The trees seemed to be getting thicker as I walked, up until I pushed through into a large clearing. A single rock stood in the center providing a landmark.

There was a growl behind me. I turned and slashed in one fluid motion, the beowulf falling dead before I had a clear view of it. I stood perfectly still, waiting for more to come. Normally a beowulf would never be far from it’s pack, what could have forced it away?

I heard it before I saw it. Heavy, lumbering footfalls, the sound of trees shattering, and a roar. The roar chilled me to the bone, a harsh, demonic sound like death itself was speaking. The grimm walked into the clearing. It was massive, standing nearly twice my height, it’s gorrilla like form covered in bone white plating. The beringel looked down upon me, nothing in it’s red eyes but pure malice. 

I switched open my sword. My best shot was to get help from someone, there was no way I could take this alone. The grimm was still staring at me, waiting for something. I pointed the barrel at the beast, aiming center of mass. The grimm opened it’s mouth, baring its teeth. I fired in that moment. The shot struck home, the sound echoing through the woods. The grimm roared once more, and I began to run. I could hear it following, not even bothering to avoid trees as it crashed through them, not slowing down. I fired again, the shot ricocheting off it’s skull plate. I ejected the clip, loading in a dust charged one. Normal bullets wouldn’t cut it here. 

I was so worried about the monster behind me that I almost ran into the rock face. There was a rock formation sticking out of the ground, almost a complete circle around me. There was nowhere left to run. I turned to face the monster. It was standing in the entrance to the natural arena, blocking any chance of escape. It edged forward, backing me into a corner. I feigned left, and it swung an arm at me, knocking me back towards the wall. I scrambled up off the ground, breathing heavily.

I had to focus, there was no way I could do this otherwise. There was no way I could parry a swing from this thing, so that idea was out the window. I wasn’t fast enough to dodge, which left me one real option. Catch it off guard. 

I pulled my sword back together into a blade, and charged at the grimm. It raised an arm to swipe at me, but I slid under and behind it, spring up and onto its back. I raised my sword and stabbed at the beast’s neck, piercing through and striking bone. It hadn’t even noticed the wound. I leapt off the grimm’s back, and it turned to face me. It roared again, and began to charge. 

I felt a surge of power, my aura sparking and crackling, barely contained by my physical form. I wasted no time. Lightning shot out, and the grimm convulsed. I heard a girl shout out behind me. “It’s not down, kill it!” 

I ran up, and began to carve into it’s neck with my blade. I activated my semblance through my sword, keeping the beast down while I worked. I had cut a rather large chunk of the flesh around it’s spine out when it started to get up. It swung at me in a blind fury, nowhere near as measured as it had been before. I was able to evade the attacks with side steps and hops backwards. The grimm raised both it’s monstrous arms for a blow, rearing up on it’s hind legs. I jumped forward, placing a strike to it’s jugular. In that moment, a girl fell from the top of the rock formation, holding a kukri in a backhanded grip. She landed on the beast’s back, and hacked at the wound I had made earlier. I heard a wordless shout from behind us, but ignored it. I had to end this.

My sword pierced the monster’s throat, and I swapped to a two handed grip, opening the blades, tearing it’s jugular even more. I fired two shots, then pulled it free, and the beast staggered. I fixed my stance, swinging to the right this time. The wound in it’s neck widened, its throat torn apart, there was no resistance until my sword impacted the grimm’s spine. The bone splintered, and I followed through the swipe, shearing through what remained to connect the monster’s head and body. It fell to the ground, dead at last.

The girl lightly jumped off the corpse as it fell, landing in front of me. She held out a hand. “Hi, my name’s Nikki. I guess this makes us partners, so why don’t you tell me yours?” She talked fast, cocking her head to the right as she asked the question. She had dirty blonde hair that reached her shoulders, and was wearing what seemed to be a hoodie with articulated armor plates. 

I reached out and shook her hand. “I’m Gadiel. Nice to meet you.”


	3. Lithium Ion

I heard footsteps behind us, and I turned around. Russell, along with a guy I didn't recognized, had found us. Russell was wide eyed. “Did you really just take that thing down? And the lightning? And that weapon?” 

I nodded. “I’m particularly proud of the weapon. Designed it myself. The recoil is a bitch though.” I shook my arm for emphasis. It hadn't bothered me in the moment, but my wrist and elbow was sore from the force of the shots. 

“Well yeah, that thing sounds like a cannon! Good thing, too, otherwise you might not have gotten help in time.” Russell said.

Nikki frowned. “I was trailing him for a while, I only stepped in when I decided he needed it.” 

I turned to her. “You were following me that whole time?” She didn't answer, but met my gaze and winked.

The guy I didn't know walked up to Nikki and I. “I don't think we've been introduced. The name’s Oran.” He stood an inch or so taller than me, his tan complexion contrasting with stark white hair, cut in a military buzz.

He was imposing, each of his biceps easily thicker than my neck. Strapped to his back was a massive hammer. I could see some telescoping on the handle indicating that the six foot monstrosity of a weapon was in a collapsed form. 

“Gadiel Silvers.” I said, shortly.

Nikki was much more enthusiastic. “Nikki here. Nice to meet you!”

“Do either of you know the way to the temple?” He asked. Ozpin mentioned it but I have no clue where it is.” I shook my head. Did anyone know where this thing was?

Nikki pursed her lips. “Can't say I do, maybe we're just supposed to wander around and look for it.”

Oran jumped up onto a small rock. I had no clue why, it's not like he needed the extra height to grab our attention. “Well, let's go together then. Four is twice as strong as two after all, so let's take advantage of that.”

He set off, Russell close behind. He didn't wait to ensure we all were following him. I glanced over at Nikki, who shrugged. “Why not?” She said.

So we went, in a direction hopefully towards the ruins. Nikki chatted with Oran as we waked, blathering on about who knows walked. At one point Russell turned to me. “So you really got four hits then?” He asked.

“Yeah. Is that really so impressive? It felt like I did terrible. I only got them because I caught her guard with my semblance and transforming my weapon.” I said. “She was holding back the entire time as well.”

He shook his head. “I only got one, and that's because I surprised her as well. Four is incredible.”

I shrugged. “I guess.” I still wasn't convinced, however. Many of these people had been training for far longer than I had, or had gone to a school and dedicated much more of their life to it.

We walked for several more minutes, Nikki eventually getting bored of her conversation with Oran and falling back a bit to chat with me. “So your semblance, it's lightning, right?” 

I nodded. “Electricity in general. I can control the flow, or generate current myself. It's how I make my sword switch open. Normally I can only generate a little bit, enough to shock but not injure. With dust, it gets a lot more powerful.”

Nikki nodded. “Yeah, I saw. I actually boosted you more than the dust did probably, all my semblance does is let me improve those of others. You mentioned you built your sword, mind sharing the specifics?” 

I pulled it out, the blade stained red from the grimm blood coating it. I was gonna have to clean it when we got back. “The blade is made from hardened steel. I did all the forging by hand, my teacher said that I shouldn't rely on a machine to make something I would stake my life on. I can use my semblance to activate servos within the blade, which opens it.”

I sent a charge to the correct circuit, servos hissing softly, and the blade split. “The gun setup is a modified .50 caliber barrel, firing high powered rifle rounds, loading clips of four bullets at a time. I'm considering using a lower caliber round and switching out the barrel, since I’m relying on aura to not break my arm by shooting it.” I paused. “Sorry if I'm rambling, i'm big on weapons tech and tend to blather on a bit.”

“Nah, it's fine.” Nikki said. “Everyone needs something to be passionate about.” I closed the blade of my sword, sticking it back in its sheath. 

“I think we found it!” Oran called out from ahead. He pushed through some bushes and out of sight. The rest of us followed close behind, emerging into a massive clearing. There it was: a stone temple, with six pedestals arranged in a circle. Four were empty, other groups must have reached here first. 

The two that remained were identical. They also appeared to be oversized brass versions of the shoe player piece from monopoly. “Just great. Always stuck with the stupid shoe.” I heard Russell grumble.

“Bad monopoly experience?” Oran asked.

Russell nodded. “I swear that game destroys any sense of familial love for at least a week afterwards.” 

Nikki grabbed one of the ‘artifacts’, then turned back to us. “So we have to get back to the cliff now right?” 

“Yeah.” I said. “I have no clue if we have to scale it or anything though.”

“Either way, it's over there.” Nikki said, pointing behind us. I turned around. Sure enough, in the distance the vertical cliff face was visible. 

“Let's go!” Oran said, beginning to walk towards it. Russell grabbed the remaining shoe, then jogged to catch up. Nikki and I followed, eventually walking side by side with the other two.

There was a scream from ahead. Oran looked around wildly, then broke into a run. The rest of us followed suit, the others quickly gaining ground on me, Oran far in the lead. 

We crested a hill when we saw what was going on. Four of the other students, surrounded by a veritable army of grimm, numbering at least a hundred. One of the kids was lying in the ground, leg twisted at an odd angle.

Oran pulled the hammer from his back, the handle extending out to nearly ten feet as he brandished it aloft. He yelled as he crashed into the horde of grimm, each swing of his hammer cutting a swath through the monsters.

I wasted no time. I drew my sword, and leapt into the fray. The grimm were everywhere. Each swing of my sword connected, my sword eviscerating the creatures it hit. I pivoted as I struck, clearing out the area around me. In the fight I caught a glimpse of Oran, each hit of his hammer now producing shock waves somehow. I struck down more and more of the monsters, relishing the work. I hated these beasts. As a child I would have loved to explore the woods outside town, but the grimm prevented that. I wished humanity could just live in peace, but the grimm prevented that. We as a species caused more than enough pain and suffering to ourselves. The grim took advantage of that. 

I cut a path to the center, joining the group that was surrounded. They had formed a circle around the injured student. They made space for me and I joined the ring, taking swings at any grimm that got within reach. I could see Russell, brandishing a knife left a red trail behind as it swung. It caught a grimm in the chest and passed through, not losing any visible momentum.

“Get ready! This is gonna be loud!” I heard Oran yell, and he slammed his hammer down on the earth, the air pulsing around us. Chunks of rock were floating in air, and the grimm along with them. Legs flailed as the suspended monsters tried and failed to move. Nikki had her hand to his back, and his aura was visible, sparkling and crackling around him. “Kill them now!” He yelled. “I can’t keep this up much longer. 

We began to systematically destroy the suspended grimm, the nearly thirty that still remained. It didn’t take long before the last was slain, ran through with a spear from a boy I did not recognize. Oran collapsed, and with it the rocks and dirt that had been caught up with the beasts.

I rushed over to his side. “You alright?” I asked. 

“I think so.” He said. “That really did a number on me though.” He slowly stood up, swaying slightly. The other group was heading towards the cliffs, two of their members carrying the one with a broken leg. “That was scary, honestly.”

“What was?” I asked, glancing at Nikki and Russell, who shrugged.

Oran stared at me. “You were, man. I saw you in that fight, you were absolutely butchering those grimm. I figured you were good when you killed that ape thing, but that was something else.”

I shrugged. “I'm not that great at fighting. I don't know why people keep making it out like I am.” I paused for a second. “I'm really bad in terms of speed, I can't dodge attacks that well.”

“You just don't see it from the outside, then, because you're far better than I am.” Russell said from behind me. “I seriously apologize for doubting you before.”

“I’ll say you're better than me as well.” Nikki supplied. “I’ve seen trained huntsman fight with less skill.”

I frowned, but said nothing. That couldn't be true, I only had three years of training, and that wasn't even full time. Slade always said that I was a natural, but that was bullshit. Practice matters far more than innate skill. “Anyways, let's go. We don't want to hold everyone up.” Oran said. 

I looked towards the cliff. The sun was right overhead. “We're holding up lunch as well.” I said. 

Nikki smiled. “Why are we standing here then?” She asked, before setting off at a jog. We all followed, moving together, back towards Beacon, back towards home.


	4. Electrode

We got the the room as soon as we could. It was rather plain, probably left up to us to decorate. It didn’t take long before half the room was covered in unpacked stuff. I hadn't brought a whole ton, mostly just unfinished or assorted electronics I liked to mess around with. There was one family portrait that I brought, and I set it down on my bedside table.

“Alright, team meeting!” Oran called from across the room. He was quickly adjusting to the role it seemed. We gathered in a semicircle. Oran was looking at a stack of papers, glancing up once to make sure everyone was listening. “We have a class tomorrow at nine, we should try not to be late for that.” He set down the papers. “But that's not the main thing. We're going to be working as a team, so we need to all know each other well and be comfortable around each other.”

He looked around. “I know team building exercises are dumb, but still, why not give it a shot. Why don't we go around and say what hobbies we have?.”

I spoke up first. “I like to build things, tinker around with technology. I'm most recently messing around with some old anti-grav engine parts I got at a junkyard a few weeks ago.”

“I meditate.” Russell said. “It helps to clear my mind, keep me focused on what I need to do.”

Nikki jumped in afterwards. “I actually read a lot. I know it seems odd given how… animate I can be but it's true. I especially love mysteries.” I tried and failed to imagine Nikki reading a suspenseful book. While I didn't doubt her, it conflicted a lot with her personality.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Oran said. It occurred to me that he hadn’t said anything. I glanced at Nikki and Russell. They both looked confused.

“You haven’t gone yet.” Nikki pointed out.

“Oh, right, sorry. I exercise a lot, basically for the same reasons you meditate.” He said, gesturing towards Russell. “I’m not going to keep you here any longer, you can all go back to what you were doing.”

“Well that was pointless.” Russell said, sighing.

“Hey! It wasn’t pointless, just… point deficit.” Oran retorted. I went back to my stuff, continuing to unpack the little I had still to do.

I was done far before everyone else, so I decided to head to the weapon lockers to tinker with my sword. In my bag I brought my tools and some spare parts.

The campus was mostly empty, people were probably reuniting with friends and teams, catching up with the summer’s events. The lockers were deserted as well, although that I was expecting.

Retrieving my sword, I set about my first task of sharpening the blade. It hadn't dulled that much, no need to put it to a grindstone, so I just used a hand sharpener.

Second, I opened the blade, noting that one of the servos had failed. I set about replacing it, disassembling the half of the blade with the offending component. While I worked, I began to brainstorm solutions to the recoil issue. It had been on my mind for two months now, and I hadn't figured out a proper solution.

I resolved to wait, as I didn't have a replacement barrel ready yet and modifying this one would be more work, not to mention more dangerous.

“It's a beauty of a weapon.” I heard someone say, and I turned to face them. It was Ozpin, complete with a cup of coffee. “And rumor is spreading that you are just as powerful as it.” 

I turned my eyes down. “That's just the thing. I'm not that good, there's no way I could be. I have so little training compared to some of these people!”

Ozpin sat down next to me, placing his coffee gently off to the side. “Slade was one of the greatest to graduate beacon in recent history. It came as a shock to most when he moved back home after he graduated. He never told me why, but he always had this sense of duty that baffled his teachers, maybe that is what drove him back.” Ozpin cleared his throat. “Either way, you were taught by an outstanding huntsman. You should take pride in your skill, rather than denying its presence.” 

With that, Ozpin got up to leave, and left me sitting there, conflicted. I was stuck mentally, without an easy way reconcile two opposite ideas.

\----

The first class we had at Beacon was combat. Professor Goodwitch stood in the center of the ring. “Today you will begin the process of assessing your teammates fighting abilities. Would teams ORNG and LILC please each nominate a member to go first?” 

I looked around at my team. All eyes were on me. I sighed, exasperated. They had gotten it into their heads that I was this amazing fighter, and I didn't think I could live up to it. I stood up, and moved down to the ring.

I faced down an athletic looking girl, wearing a hoodie and skinny jeans. Long black hair draped down the front of her face obscured most of her features, But I could see green eyes through the natural veil.

She reached to her back, a small pipe shaped object quickly extending to a full length spear. It occurred to me that I had fought alongside this girl only yesterday, against the grimm horde. I unsheathed my sword, holding it at a downward angle as we began to circle each other. 

The room began to shift, the illusion of an empty hall with mirrored floors taking the place of reality. The girl leapt forward, making the first move. 

The attack was fast, but I managed to bring my blade up in time to deflect it. I flicked my the blade down, parrying her attempt to strike me with the blunt end. The next two attacks followed the same pattern, downward slash followed by upward swipe. I reiterated the same defense, this time following up with an offhand punch. The girl reeled, and I pressed my advantage, stabbing dead center. Her aura blocked the hit but she was sent flying, her weapon knocked from her hand.

She jumped to her feet, and I let her reclaim her spear, her eyes never leaving me as she bent down to grab it. I went on the offensive, heavy strikes wearing down her guard as she backpedaled, blocking with her spear. I feigned a hit, pulling back before her spear reached its intended position. I cut low, knocking her to the ground, the arena fading around us as I did. 

“That's enough.” Goodwitch called out. I offered my hand to the girl, helping her pull herself up. “As you can see on the display, Ms. Davidson’s aura fell below twenty percent. In a tournament this would mean that Mr. Silvers won the fight.” I walked back to my seat, eyes following me.

“That was amazing!” Nikki whispered, but I just shrugged.

Professor Goodwitch must have heard, as she looked up at Nikki. “Yes, Ms. Adams, his performance was outstanding. Yet, I saw him hold back. Team PTCH, please nominate a member, and Mr. Silvers, please return to the ring.”

She turned to address the class as a whole. “Under normal circumstances I would never have a student fight twice in a row, but I believe that Mr. Silvers has far more in him.” She looked over at me. “Don’t hold back this time, I want to see you truly fight.”

I faced my new opponent, a stocky boy with a sword and shield. He took a defensive stance. He began to edge forwards, but I held position. His guard was well suited for a mindless grimm, but sloppy otherwise. 

I swung down, fully expecting the shield to block the hit. I was proven right, and let out a shock through the blade, through the shield, to his arm. The boy shouted, dropping the shield, his yell cut short as my strike knocked the wind out of him. He was sent flying, and I activated the mechanisms to open my blade. The shot caught him in mid air, knocking him further back and into a wall. “Much better!” Professor Goodwitch called out. “You can take a seat now, Mr. Silvers.” I went back.

This time Nikki was silent, and it was Oran who spoke. “If you still can’t see how skilled you are, then you’re blind.” I closed my eyes, exhaling. I still didn’t want believe that they were right. I couldn’t be so much better with so little training, it just didn’t make sense. 

I thought back to what Ozpin said yesterday. Even if Slade was an amazing fighter, there was no way he could teach me so much better than anyone else, it didn’t make sense. And yet...

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story on this site, I'm trying it over fanfiction.net for this story. Therefore, I apologize if I messed something up with the tagging system or anything else.


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